Pencil



Patented Jan. 2%, 19236,

UNITE!) STATESi WILLIAM K. HOLMES, or BROOKLYN, NnwYoRK.

PENCIL.

Application filed Ienuaryil, 1924. Serial No. 685,637.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM K. HoLMns,

It is one of the primary objects of the in-- vention to provide a new and improved mechanism for propelling th lead.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new and improved mechanism by means of which the lead may be moved in either direction longitudinally of the pencil, which mechanism also serves to eject the lea d from the pencil.

With the above and other objects in view, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pencil constructed in accordance with the 'iresent invention, showing the lead withc rawn into the pencil;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, of the improved pencil, and showing the position of the parts when the lead is partially projected therefrom, that is, in approximately the position in which the lead is used when the pencil is in use;

8 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4- is a detail longitudinal sectional view showing the position of the several parts at the time the lead is projected from the pencil, and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the pencil comprises a barrel 10, having its forward end tapered as designated by the reference character 11. Mounted within the barrel 10 and rigidly secured thereto, a at 12, by means of solder or the like, there is a tubular member 13, and connected to this tubular member 18 and projecting rearwardly therefrom, there is a iced screw 14-.

Surrounding the feed screw 1d, there is a sleeve 16, and such sleeve is provided with a !ongitudinallyextending slot 16, As

mor clearly shown in Fig. 4, a portion of the forward end of this sleeve is cut away which provides a forward extension 17, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described. The sleeve 15 is adapted to be rotated within the barrel 10, by means of a sleeve 18, which telescopes the sleeve 15 as designated by the referencenumeral 19 in Fig. 1. Thi sleeve 18 projects from the rear end ofthe barrel 10, as designated by the numeral 20, and a cap 21 is frictionally engaged therewith to providetfor the rotation of the sleeve- The barrel 10 is provided with an annular head 22, and the sleeve 18 is likewise provided with an annular bead 23, which is adapted to be received within the bead 22 to prevent accidental displacement of the sleeve 18 relative to the barrel 10.

Slidably mounted within the tubular member 13, there is a lead-holder 24, and carried thereby there i' 'a writing lead 25. This lead-holder 24 is adapted. to be fed longitudinally of the tubular member 13, by mean of a projection 26 formed on the rear end of'the lead-holder and lying between the oonvolutions or the feed screw 14. This projection is adapted to travel through the slot 16 in the tube 15 when the latter is r0- tated to move the projection 26 through the convolutions of the feed screw 14.

The reference character 27 designates a lead-pusher and said lead-pusher is adapted to move longitudinally of the leadholder and is operated by the tube 15, the leadpusher 27 having a U-shaped portion 28 adapted to engage the feed screw 1d, as shown in Fig. 1, and said U-shaped portion 28 lying within the slot 16 of the tube 15 one convolution to the rear of the projection 26 of the lead-holder 24.

The device functions in the following manner:

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, if the cap 21 be turned to the right, the sleeve 15 will be likewise turned to the right. This causes the lead-holder to move forwardly in the tubular member 18 to project the lead, as shown in Fig. 2. With the parts in this position, it will be noted that the member 26 is passed out of the end of the sleeve 15 and that such sleeve is free to rotate without causing the member 26 to rotate, since this member 26 is driven by the sleeve 15 through the medium of the slot 16. It, now, the sleeve 15 be turned still further to the right, the lead-pusher 27 will be fed forwardly until the opposite side edge of the projection 17 engages the member 26 and limits further movement of the sleeve 15. During this operation, however, that is, the movement of one edge o1 the projection 17 out of engagement with one side of the member 26 and until the opposite edge of the projection 17 engages the opposite face of the member 26, the leadpusher 27 will have been advanced far enough to force the lead from the end of the barrel. If, new, the cap 21 be rotated in the opposite direction, the lead-pusher will be moved rearwardly of the barrel until the projecting member 17 again engages the member 26, when the; same will be rotated and by reason of its engagement between the eonvolutions of the feed screw 14-, will be moved rearwardly of the pencil, carrying the lead-holder with it, and, consequently, drawing the lead into the pencil.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides a new and improved lead pencil of what is known as the propel, repel, expel type, which is efficient in its operation, economical in cost of construction, and in which the minimum number of parts is employed.

hat is claimed is:

A lead pencil comprising a barrel having a tapered end with a hole through which the lead is projected, a guide-tube fixed in said tapered end and extending axially with respect to the hole and longitudinal axis of the barrel, a lead-holder-tube adapted for movement in said guide-tube, a lead-pusher having a portion adapted for movement in said lead-holder-tube, a wire having one end attached to said gnidetube and extending 4 longitudinally of the barrel in the form of a helix for a portion of the length of the barrel, a sleeve surrounding said wire, said sleeve being held against longitudinal movement with respect to the barrel and being 4 rotatable with respect thereto, said sleeve having a longitudinally disposed slot and being cut-away to provide an extension, a radial portion at one end of the lead-holdertube, a radial portion at one end of the 5 lead-pusher, said radial portions extending through the slot in said sleeve and in contact with said wire to cause the movement of the lead-holder-tube and lead-pusher simultaneously in response to the rotation of 5 the sleeve, the lead-holder-tube remaining stationary when its radial portion is moved into said cutaway, said sleeve being held against rotation in one direction when the radial portion of the lead-hold-er-tube moves 6 into engagement with said extension, the lead-pusher being movable by virtue of its radial portion extending through the slot of the sleeve and in engagement with the wire after the radial portion of the lead-holder- 6 tube is in the cut-away to push the remnant of lead out of the lead-holder-tube and guidetube.

WILLIAM K. HOLMES. 

